Miami Beach city commissioners agreed Friday to reopen beaches and hotels beginning June 1, a week after the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
The decision to reopen after a long holiday weekend was made to avoid crowds. “We have to exercise some measure of caution because there is a natural tension between crowds and physical distancing,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said. “How do you manage that in a pandemic? The answer is carefully. We know that Memorial Day is a traditional time for everybody to go to the beach, and if we saw hundreds of thousands of people on our beaches, it would be a disaster.”
"Beachgoers will likely be asked to maintain social distancing and refrain from forming large groups. But masks will not likely be required", City Manager Jimmy Morales said in a statement.
Also, Florida still requires travelers from the most infected areas, such as New York and New Jersey, to self-quarantine for 14 days, USA Today confirmed. Travelers from certain high-risk areas are supposed to complete a form with the traveler’s history, contact information and trip details. There could be consequences for not completing the form or abiding by the quarantine.
The non-stop flights to Miami are still limited but many airlines started resuming flights and adding more destinations. There are flights to Miami for as low as $49 from Ohio, Kentucky and North Carolina.
As summer season approaches, many countries are trying to figure out how to revive the travel industry. Greece has recently announced it expects to open its borders by July, Iceland said it will start welcoming tourists on June 15, Aruba expects to open by July.